Missing In Action
by caressedbythorns
Summary: Well that settles it the perfect soldier sounds hurt.- Duo comes to a realization about Heero after a mission gone wrong. M/M Duo/Heero


Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam Wing. I play with the characters in this story for fun not profit. So don't sue me… you won't get much.

Missing In Action

Explosions rocked the ground making Duo falter as he ran for the cover of the forest. Deathscythe was waiting for him one klik from the tree line. Beside him Quatre gasped, his leg giving way forcing the majority of his weight on to Duo's shoulders.

"God damn Duo, just leave me." The blond ground out, throwing a glare at the other man.

"You're fucking crazy man. I am not leaving you here." Duo shouted pulling his friend with him in to the thick trees. "You're sounding like Heero, Quat." He quipped swinging the large blond over his shoulder and taking off for his Gundam at break neck speed.

"You're so fucking dead when this is over Duo." Quatre gasped out hanging upside down.

"Shut up, you were slowing us down and you know it." Duo snarled almost tripping on an upturned log.

The forest was growing silent the farther in they went and the braided man thought they might be in the clear.

"Status." He barked shifting the blond.

"Compound fracture of the right tibia." Quarter bit out. "Concussion likely, uninjured otherwise."

Duo swung the blond down making sure to support his weight. "Hold on to that tree." He instructed leaning the blond against a large oak.

He hit the button that brought his Gundam to life and swung in to it.

He grabbed the comm. "02 to 01 come in 01 do you read me?" He waited a moment before a familiar voice crackled back at him.

"Affirmative 02 are you in need of assistance?"

"Yeah 04 is injured I can't carry him, transport is requested." Duo tried to be vague. "Do you have my signal?"

"Hn, 05 is on route. Leave the machine it will be retrieved." Heero growled.

Duo started at the anger in his tone. "I will not fucking leave the machine 01!" He spat wondering when Heero had become so dense.

"Enemy caravan is in your area 02. Not safe to move." Heero bit out.

Duo sighed and ran a hand over Deathscythes' control panel. "Affirmative 01, 02 out."

The braided pilot grabbed he hard drive from Deathscythe and swung down he cable. He landed near the blind man and smiled. "Wu-Wu is on the way shouldn't be too long." He told him pressing the button to put his Gundam back to sleep.

He moved around the large lump of gundanium and covered it with the camouflage net.

By the time Wufei found them Quatre had lost a lot of blood. Duo was worried, really worried. He had seen this kind of wound before; if they weren't careful the blond could get an infection in his bone marrow.

There wasn't much you could do one that happened.

Sally was with Wufei sitting in the back of the black van a stretcher waiting for Quatre.

"Where did you find her?" The brunet asked glancing at the blond woman as he swung in to the passenger's seat.

"She was with me. Not one word Maxwell or I leave you here." The Chinese man bit out.

Duo shrugged and leaned back in his seat.

He woke up as they pulled in to a safe house. Looked to be Heero's choice, it was pretty run down and in the middle of nowhere.

Thankfully it seemed like they would have electricity this time as the windows were all brightly lit.

Wufei stopped the van just outside of the house. Duo jumped out as soon as the break was applied, rushing to the back to help Sally.

Quatre looked better than he had in the woods, but his face was still pale and the bone was still sticking oddly from his leg.

"Move Maxwell." Sally told him pushing at his chest.

Duo stepped back allowing the blond to heave the stretcher out of the van and roll it in to the safe house.

The braided man stared at the ground for a moment feeling useless now that the adrenalin high had worn off.

"Come inside." Heero's voice broke through his internal struggle.

He was standing on the porch when Duo looked up. The light from the door way filtering in to the darkness and casting his figure in stark relief.

"Uh." Duo stared transfixed as Heero took a step forward and then another and another. Suddenly the other pilots hand was leading him inside the brightly lit safe house.

As the heat of the room hit his skin he realized how cold he was. It was fall in this part of earth and the night chill had taken its toll.

A blanket was shoved at him. The braided man startled staring at the blue fuzzy cloth.

"Sit by the fire." Heero growled. Dup thought he heard him walk from the room.

The American snuggled his face in to the warm slightly sweet smelling softness and walked mostly blind to the living room.

The room was sparsely decorated, a couch two arm chairs and one lamp were the entire contents.

Duo sat himself in the chair closest to the fire and curled in to a ball. His mind still felt numb, he couldn't remember why. Surely not seeing Quatre hurt? He had seen the other pilots much worse off. So what was it?

A cough interrupted his internal reverie. He turned towards the sound and found Wufei standing a few feet from him.

"Winner will live Maxwell." He told him curtly sitting in the chair across from his. "Why was he with you? And what the hell took you so long? The mission was only supposed to be reconnaissance." The Chinese man bit out harshly.

"I… Don't remember." Duo stuttered after a moment. He really wasn't even sure what day it was. "How… how long was I gone?" He asked not knowing if he wanted to know the answer.

"How long? Three days Maxwell!" Wufei stood glaring.

Duo curled in to himself hoping Wufei wasn't going to hit him. Then stopped as realization struck. _What the hell why am I reacting like this? I should be kicking his stuck up ass not retreating! _ This thought broke through the jumble of emotions that were hitting him.

"I think I'm going to be sick." He replied running from the room quickly.

He removed himself from the bathroom one miserable hour later. _Fuck my stomach hurts. _He coughed and rubbed his throat softly. Catching sight of his wrist for the first time all night he noticed severe bruising. _What the hell?_ He wondered running a finger over the purple and red welts.

"They look infected." Heero's voice once again startled him.

"Stop doing that!" He barked backing up a few steps.

The perfect soldier looked him over calculatingly before stepping towards him a grabbing his wrist.

"Sally needs to take a look at these. Then we talk." His voice sounded strange. _Does… does he sound concerned?_ Duo tried to pull his wrist away.

"I can clean them myself and there is nothing to talk about." He replied calmer.

"Hn, no and yes there is." Heero told him dragging Duo's still protesting form towards a door at the end of the hall.

_What the fuck?_ Duo groused internally. _Does he think he's my fucking mother?_ The braided man pulled harder but to no avail. The other man knocked lightly on the door in front of them and Sally's blond head peeked out.

"Can I help you?" She asked curtly.

"Maxwell is in need of your assistance." The pilot explained pulling Duo's wrist to show her.

"Oh, well why didn't you say so?" She asked ushering them in to the make shift hospital. "Sit on the bed Duo I'll get those cleaned and bandaged.

Duo glared at the doctor. "I don't need help." He told her coldly.

"Look just let me…" She turned to him a needle in hand and suddenly Duo felt the world tip around him.

He woke to Sally's worried face. "Duo, Duo can you hear me?" Her soft voice broke through the haze of unconsciousness.

"02 respond." Heero's command had him answering automatically.

"What the hell happened?" He whispered haltingly reaching one hand up to grab his throbbing head.

"You passed out." Sally told him helping him sit up. Duo looked around the room hesitantly they were in a different room than when he had last been awake.

"Where did you move me?" He asked suddenly fearful.

"You in your room 02." Heero explained. For some reason the brunets use of his code name was calming Duo down considerably.

"Oh, right." He looked down at his wrists. White bandages were wrapped carefully around them both. _ Guess the wrapped them while I was out. _He rubbed one bandage with his forefinger feeling their gauzy softness against his callouses.

"I wrapped them while you were out… I was worried you might faint again if we tried to drain them while you were awake." Sally explained obviously noticing Duo's fixation.

"Yeah." Duo responded quietly. _But why the hell did I respond like that? I've never had problems with needles before._

"I am going to sit with you over night, you hit your head pretty badly when you fell." The blond doctor told him. Her voice seemed to be closer than before.

Duo Glanced up at the woman who was now seated next to him on the bed.

"No, No Doc that ain't happenin. I won't sleep with you in here." He told her glaring heatedly.

"Then I'll stay." Heero broke in before Sally could argue.

Duo raised an eyebrow in confusion but nodded his assent. He flopped down on the bed feeling the pillows indent behind him.

"Get out Doc, I'll come see you in the morning." He turned so he didn't have to see the pain in her expression. Moments later the door opened and shut with a click.

"You're not being strong Duo, you're being stupid." Heero told him sharply after a few minutes of silence.

"Well why the hell do you care? It's not like we're partners not really! If we were you would have been the one in there with me not Quat." Duo wasn't sure why he was saying this, it just felt right somehow.

"We are partners, I was on a mission you know that." Heero sounded strange again. _Well that settles it the perfect soldier sounds hurt._

"Why do you sound like I killed your puppy huh? I'm sorry about snapping but your making this hard." Duo felt his voice quiver more than heard it. _What the hell happened in there, what is fucking wrong with me?_

"I was worried." The words were so soft Duo thought he had imagined them for a moment.

"Excuse me?" He turned to look at the man sitting on the other bed that occupied the room.

"You heard me." He groused looking down.

_Is Heero… blushing? _Duo's eyes widened at that thought.

"Why were you worried Heero? We've been through a lot together, wasn't the first time one of us was late on a mission." Duo pushed his bangs from his eyes so he could get an unobstructed view of the other man.

"I…" Heero sighed and flopped back on the bed. "It doesn't matter Duo, just get some sleep."

Duo stood and walked over to his partners' bed sitting at the end. "I think it matters, and after my week I think I deserve an answer." He told the blue eyed man.

The other man sat up ad turned his eyes so dark they seemed purple. "Fine I love you Duo. You can leave now."

Duo sat back, nearly falling off the bed. "You… What?" He felt sick. _This can't really? I Mean Heero…_

"Just go to sleep Duo I'll send one of the others in to sit with you.

Heero stood and turned to the door.

"Wait!" Duo grabbed the other man's hand. "Don't go… I… fuck Heero." Duo stuttered.

_Fuck this. _He tugged harshly, bringing Heero don to his level and pressed his lips against the other pilots.

Heero was stiff for a moment before he melted in to Duo. The braided man smiled in to the kiss before tugging his partner on to the bed.

When they finally emerged the next morning there were still trials to face, the war, Duo's botched mission and explaining this to the other pilots. But Duo figured if he could find love in the perfect soldier, well there wasn't anything they couldn't face.

A/N

Umm 'm not really sure where this one came from… I have been reading a lot of Gundam wing fanfiction lately and I guess my plot bunnies decided it was time I try out the fandom. I'm not really sure how good this is… I may add to it at a later date once I'm done with Reperio Verum and its sequels… maybe not. Any way I hope you enjoyed it.

Please R&R it makes me feel all happy inside.


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